The Tradition of the Elders
2“Why do Your disciples Mt 10:1; 26:56; Mk 3:7; 16:20; Lk 6:13; Jn 12:16 break the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their hands when they eat! ” Lit eat bread = eat a meal Lk 11:38; Gl 1:14; Col 2:8; Heb 11:2
3He answered them, “And why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition?
Honor your father and your mother; Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16; Eph 6:2 Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16 and,
The one who speaks evil of father or mother
must be put to death. Ex 21:17; Lv 20:9 Ex 21:17; Lv 20:9
5But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or mother, “Whatever benefit you might have received from me is a gift committed to the temple” —
6he does not have to honor his father.’ Other mss read then he does not have to honor his father or mother In this way, you have revoked God’s word Other mss read commandment because of your tradition.
7Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said:
but their heart is far from Me.
9They worship Me in vain,
teaching as doctrines the commands of men.” Is 29:13; Ezk 33:31; Col 2:22; Ti 1:14 Is 29:13 LXX
Defilement Is from Within
10Summoning the crowd, He told them, “Listen and understand:
11It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles Mt 15:18; Mk 7:15; Ac 21:28; Heb 9:13 a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” Ac 10:14-15; 1Tm 4:3
12Then the disciples came up and told Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard this statement? ”
13He replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted. Is 60:21; 61:3; Jn 15:2; 1Co 3:9
14Leave them alone! They are blind guides. Other mss add for the blind And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit.” Mal 2:8; Mt 23:16,24; Lk 6:39
15Then Peter replied to Him, “Explain this parable to us.” Mt 13:36; Mk 7:17
17“Don’t you realize Other mss add yet that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated? Lit and goes out into the toilet
19For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, Eph 4:31; Col 3:8; 1Tm 6:4 blasphemies. Ex 20:13-16; Gl 5:19-21; Jms 2:4
20These are the things that defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile a man.” Mt 11:18; Mk 7:2,5; 1Co 6:9-10
A Gentile Mother’s Faith
22Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came and kept crying out, Other mss read and cried out to Him “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly tormented by a demon.” Gn 10:15,19; Jdg 1:30-33; Mt 4:24; 9:27
23Yet He did not say a word to her. So His disciples Mt 10:1; 26:56; Mk 3:7; 16:20; Lk 6:13; Jn 12:16 approached Him and urged Him, “Send her away because she cries out after us.” Lit she is yelling behind us or after us
24He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Mt 10:6,23; Jn 4:22; Rm 15:8
25But she came, knelt before Him, and said, “Lord, help me! ”
26He answered, “It isn’t right to take the children’s bread and throw it to their dogs.” Ex 22:31; 2Kg 9:10; Mt 8:2; Php 3:2
27“Yes, Lord,” she said, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table! ”
28Then Jesus replied to her, “Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want.” And from that moment Lit hour her daughter was cured. Mt 9:22; 17:18; Jn 4:52-53
Healing Many People
29Moving on from there, Mk 7:31-37 Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee. Mt 9:8; 18:8; Mk 9:43 He went up on a mountain and sat there,
30and large crowds came to Him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, those unable to speak, and many others. They put them at His feet, and He healed them.
31So the crowd was amazed when they saw those unable to speak talking, the deformed restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. Is 29:23; Lk 1:68; Ac 13:17 And they gave glory to the God of Israel.
Feeding 4,000
32Now Jesus summoned His disciples and said, Mt 14:14-21; Mk 8:1-10 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they’ve already stayed with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry; otherwise they might collapse on the way.”
33The disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in this desolate place Mk 8:4; 2Co 11:26; Heb 11:38 to fill such a crowd? ”
34“How many loaves do you have? ” Jesus asked them.
“Seven,” they said, “and a few small fish.”
35After commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground,
36He took the seven loaves and the fish, and He gave thanks, broke them, and kept on giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. Mt 26:27; Lk 22:17; Jn 6:11,23; Ac 27:35; Rm 14:6; 1Co 10:30
37They all ate and were filled. Then they collected the leftover pieces — seven large baskets full.
38Now those who ate were 4,000 men, besides women and children.
39After dismissing the crowds, He got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan. Other mss read Magdala Mk 3:9; 8:10
Holman Christian Standard Bible®
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by Holman Bible Publishers
